


A New Sort of Battle

by Wallwalker



Category: Skies of Arcadia
Genre: Community: 30_kisses, Drama, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-01
Updated: 2009-12-01
Packaged: 2017-10-04 01:30:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wallwalker/pseuds/Wallwalker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fina never learned to fight, and she's really not used to this. It's a good thing she isn't alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Sort of Battle

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for [30_kisses](http://community.livejournal.com/30_kisses) at Livejournal.

Fina stared up at the angry Grouper as it glowered over her with wide eyes. It was all she could do not to turn and run - the main thing that kept her there was the knowledge that she didn't have anywhere to run to.

She didn't know how to fight; the Elders had never really taught her how. They'd taught her a bit of magic, which relied on being away from the action and being able to concentrate on the invocations to the various moons, and they'd taught her how to control Cupil and let him fight for her. But she'd never held a real weapon, not like Ramirez had. She'd watched him train with his sword and had asked the Elders to allow her to train as well, since she didn't want to be helpless if she should ever be in trouble. She didn't understand why they had always said no....

Fighting was hard for her even with Cupil there to rely on - it moved so quickly, and there were things that she had never seen or felt before - blood and pain, in particular. Until then she'd been lucky, she'd been able to stay out of the action enough that her skill with magic could be of some use... but now Vyse and Drachma were below deck, and Aika was trapped by more monsters. Fina's luck had run out.

Cupil darted directly at the gigantic fish, ramming its body into its side. But that didn't seem to hurt the fish; in fact it just seemed to infuriate it. It promptly turned and whipped Cupil away with its tail. Fina heard the little creature squeal as it was knocked through the air.

Fina didn't even have time to cry out before the fish rammed her with its huge head, and set her flying across the deck of the Little Jack. She landed on her side, wincing as her arm struck the deck - thank the Moons it didn't seem to be broken, she thought at first. But when she looked up and saw the Grouper looming over her, seeming to grin with its mouth full of sharp teeth, she forgot everything but the fear that she wasn't going to recover the Crystals. She was going to -

_"Hey! Fish-face!"_ Fina saw something rushing at the Grouper with a blur, striking its side and leaving a wide gash on its skin. The fish convulsed in pain. "Come over here and pick on someone your own size!"

_Aika?_ Fina turned her head to see the redhead holding her boomerang up in the air, waving it around. The fish seemed to growl as it turned to face her - _fish can't growl,_ Fina found herself thinking - and then charged at Aika as fast as it could.

Before Fina could even cry out, Aika had struck again, throwing the boomerang and hitting the fish right on the nose. Then she did something Fina hadn't expected - she held out her arms, and a cone of fire erupted between them, rushing out to engulf the Grouper with an intense orange light. The gigantic fish convulsed as it burned, and soon turned and flew over the side of the ship. Fina stood up, still holding her sore arm, and turned in time to watch it fall over the side of the deck, still burning.

She was still staring at where it had gone down when she felt Aika beside her. "Hey, Fina, you ok?"

"Yes," she answered without thinking. Then, as her arm throbbed and reminded her that it wasn't entirely true, she amended herself. "I hurt my arm, though."

"Uh-oh. Let me see..." Aika examined it closely. "Looks like just a scrape, but we'd better let somebody look at it when we get to land. Does it hurt?"

Fina nodded. "A little. I mean, it doesn't feel like it's broken, but -"

Aika bent down and kissed Fina's shoulder very softly, just above the scrape. "There," she said, winking. "That should help."

Fina blinked at her. "It should?"

"Well, didn't you have a mother that kissed you when you fell down and hurt yourself?" Aika laughed nervously. "I know I'm not your mother, but I'm the only other girl here right now, so..."

"I don't understand," Fina said. "I never had a mother."

Aika blinked at that, and it looked like she was about to say something, but they were interrupted when Vyse ran over to them, panting heavily. "Hey, are you two okay? We had some trouble in the engine room... I'm sorry I couldn't-"

"Oh, don't worry. I just had a couple of small fry, nothing I couldn't handle. Fina's the one who stood up to that big ugly Grouper." Aika said. She patted Fina on the shoulder. "She doesn't have much practice yet, sure, but she did a pretty good job for a beginner. She'll be fighting like a pro in no time."

"Well, that's a relief." Vyse grinned, then sobered somewhat as he saw Fina's arm. "That has to hurt, though. We'd better get below decks and see if the Captain has any medical supplies on board."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Aika said. "Why don't you go ahead, find out where they are? We'll be right behind you."

Vyse nodded. "Ok, but hurry up - I don't want you two stuck out here alone again!"

As Vyse turned and ran back down to the bridge, Aika turned back to Fina. "You... really didn't have a mother? Did you have a father?"

Fina shook her head. "I... well, I guess I must have. But I never knew who they were."

"I..." Aika caught herself. "I guess it's too dangerous to talk about here. Next time we're in port we can talk about that, though - right?"

"Sure." Fina managed a smile.

"Great! Now let's get off the deck - if that big fish had any buddies, I don't think I want to meet them just yet."

"I... I don't think I do either," Fina said as they walked back to the door. "Thanks, Aika. I think you saved my life."

"It was nothing," Aika said, beaming. "I'm just glad you're okay."


End file.
